Windblown
by LovelyKiridia
Summary: A one-shot for Skyward Sword. A short excursion to the surface leaves Zelda in a dire predicament, and who better to help her out than Skyloft's resident hero. Spoiler alert!


**A/N: Just a little (okay, long) one-shot of SS Link and Zelda. Honestly, they are both so cute! There'll be a short fluff at the end, but largely this story is experimental to practice my writing. **

**In this story I've added some theories, foreshadowing, and thoughts about the game... You'll see what I mean. You can try to identify all the things I foreshadow, they should be easy to spot. **

**This story takes place after the events of SS.**

**If you haven't played the game, and intend to some time in the future, turn back now. There will be spoilers!**

**Otherwise enjoy!**

* * *

Windblown

"Touch down!"

Zelda sighed and straightened, patting her frock and smoothing out her windblown hair. She gazed skyward as her loftwing soared overhead, returning to the blue expanse of sky to wait for her summons. Eventually he disappeared and Zelda assumed he'd gone past the cloud barrier.

That had always puzzled her, how in the sky looking down there remained a swarming sea of clouds, and yet below, down on the hard-packed soil of the surface and looking up there was hardly ever an overcast to be seen. Truly puzzling. Maybe it only gave the illusion of a clear blue sky?

Shrugging it off, Zelda set about dwelling further into the dessert. The sun beat down, glaringly hot, causing her clothes to dampen with sweat and her fringe to mat to her forehead. Nevertheless, she walked with a bright smile on her face, and as she entered the shadowed hulls of the tunnels of the old mineshaft she leisurely took in each and every ancient monument and structure with freely expressed awe. This had once been a thriving green land, bountiful as well as beautiful, before the great cataclysm and the battle against Demise. Back then the small robotic race who'd once inhabited the province of Lanayru had all but been eliminated. Although it was no less beautiful how it was in its current state – the sand and rust sort of gave it an air of mystery to it - she couldn't help but think…some day…maybe they could return it to its original splendor.

It was nice to get away from Skyloft on occasion. She'd been smothered before by those whose greatest desire it seemed was to laud her cuteness, or suck up to her to gain favor with her father the headmaster, but recently it had reached a whole new level of ridiculousness. Ever since she'd taken that unfortunate tumble down to the surface she'd been glomped, cheek pinched, and cried on continuously for the past month, and she had enough of it. Also, what was with all the fawning? They acted as though she were the Goddess Hylia herself, rather than Zelda. Just plain old Zelda, who _just happened_ to be the Goddess reborn.

It was all Groose's fault really. No. Scratch that. Her _father_ and Groose. If they had not blabbed in the first place about her being a Goddess, if they had not expressed so much pride in her status – or in Groose's case, if he had not felt the need to boast for her – then the other sky dwellers would have forever remained blissfully unaware and Zelda wouldn't have to contend with their abrupt change in behavior. Groose's word might have been taken as a fanciful notion, belied out of his admiration and desire for her, however that her father had graciously added his input served to cement the fact. After all, the headmaster told no lies, his word was as good as gold it seemed.

Thankfully, Link had opted to remain quiet on the matter. He had kept silent and allowed everyone else to form their own conclusions. He at least continued treating her as he always had, a tender fondness that could easily give way to mischievous and playful when teasing her. She admired his stability. Despite the dark circumstances they'd been drawn into, his devotion continued throughout and their connection grew only stronger as the events seared them together.

Ah, Link… Which brought her back to the initial reason for her outing. Link's birthday was coming up and she wanted to surprise him with a special present, the means for constructing it being found only in Lanayru desert. However what good a bunch of tumbleweeds and an ancient flower did for the welding of metal parts together was completely beyond her, but Gondo Insisted that he needed them so she had to go fetch them.

And how in the blazes, considering that no one had ever visited the surface before, had Gondo known what the items were, or even how they existed? And what had he used beforehand if he couldn't make anything without the required materials? Ancient flowers were extinct in this day and age. Bee larva was common enough off the many grove islands in the sky, but tumbleweed, the evil crystal, and amber relic? The dusk relics were found only in the silent realm, for Hylia's sake! It surprised her how he had made any amount of profit beforehand. Link would have had to practically introduce him to the items, unless if he had studied from an ancient text, of which only her father was in the possession of, and he didn't loan freely, that was for certain.

It was a bit nostalgic, wandering through the tunnels. Lithely, she hopped down a ledge and then followed the tracks further in. The first time she'd been here she'd been with Impa on her way to the time gate. She shivered at the recolections of the rather nasty scene that followed. That day the evil demon Ghirahim had almost had her. If it were not for Impa and Link…  
_Let's not go there_, she mused silently, _it's done and over, you've nothing left to fear_.

But still her heart clamored in her chest, secretly the fear of being hunted still haunted her, and she could not prevent herself from checking behind her from time to time to ensure no bokoblins were in pursuit.

She shuddered. If only she had Impa right now. But her Sheikah guardian was gone, thrust back into her own time to await the day that Zelda would fall from the sky to encounter old Impa, worn and aged and bearing the small tribute from her ward. How she had ever managed to miss that she could not fathom. Old Impa had been donning her hairpiece on her arm as a bracelet for the entire period she'd known her and yet she hadn't recognized the thing, unable to put pieces of the puzzle together until old Impa had finally handed out the answers to her at the end. A bit blindsided of her, Zelda admitted. What with the stress of the situation and the lack of overall time, making connections had been the last thing she'd needed to think about. But still, it had been blaringly obvious and right in front of her face.

She reached a circular enclosure with two more tunnels leading off. Heading straight for the time shift stone, she jabbed it with the butt of Link's bug net. It flared, then released a propulsion of ice blue light, quickly spreading out on the grounds reawakening the dead terrace and giving color back to the environment. It also had the effect of reviving the ancient robots, who immediately began working to deface the rock walls.

Her first matter of business was to search out the violet petaled ancient flower, which she was certain were located somewhere in the area.

"Brzzt! Do you mind?"

Zelda twirled around and noticed one of the robots with its arms full and fuming with impatience. It was then she realized that she was standing in its path to the mining cart and she swiftly stepped aside, face flushed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get underfoot-"

But the robot swept her apology aside, rumbling with irritation. "Brzzzt, bothersome Hylians. Always in places they shouldn't be."

Zelda's flushed countenance quickly transitioned from one of embarrassment to one of affront. She had half a mind to teach that deformed teakettle a lesson in manners. If it only knew exactly who she was… Ah, what was she saying! A minute ago she had been lamenting on the fact that people were aware of her being the Goddess Hylia, and now she wanted others to know. How contradictory of her.

She made sure to stand out of the way as the robots worked. Looking around, she kept her eyes peeled for the flower. After a short period, she huffed, and approached one of the robots working on the wall.

"Excuse me," she started with politeness, hoping her interruption wouldn't procure any adverse reaction, "but there wouldn't by any chance be some ancient flowers around here, would there?"

The robot tilted its head up at her, but hadn't reneged in its bombardment of the stone. "Vrrrm. Ancient flower? What ancient flower? There's no ancient flower. Blurrrt"

Zelda froze. "No…ancient…flower?" But she'd sworn Link had told her that they only grew in the Lanayru province, and she was certain she'd seen a few herself during her journey.

"Vrrrrrrm. Nope. Nothing of the sort. But we do have the new sulking daisies fwooosh, if that's an acceptable alternative?"

She perked. "Sulking daisies?"

The robot pointed a long metal digging claw to the space across from them on the other side of the enclosure. "There's some over there. They're a novelty nowadays, and they only grow in singles, not in beds like other flowers. They can't stand each other, vrrrrm."

Sure enough when her gaze drew to the location her eyes brightened as she took in the characteristics of the ancient flower. With its head drooping downwards it really did look as if it was sulking. Of course! The time shift stone had reverted this area to its past state; it hadn't been ancient back then.

Sending the robot a winning smile, to which she swore his metal cheeks tinted rose, she thanked him wholeheartedly. "Thank you, it will do nicely. I don't know what I would have done without your help."

The robot buzzed, flustered, and quickly went back to its activities. "Vrrrrrm. Don't mention it."

A wide grin adorned her face as she headed over to the purple flora. Of course, she'd have eventually spotted it without the robot's assistance, but it was always nice to show a hefty amount of appreciation for any and all help, regardless of whether it was needed or not. After all, she did ask for it.

It was good to know that some robots were well-mannered. Link had once revealed to her the nature of his relationship with Gondo's robot Scrapper. Apparently it hadn't been all too amiable a partnership. At least there were some robots out there who saved grace for the species.

Her steps faltered and enthusiasm wavered as she saw something that had previously been covered by the time shift stone from the other side. No more than three feet away from the ancient flower, the lengthy fronds of a deku baba sprouted from the ground, unmoving, silent and waiting. She knew that deku babas felt for vibrations in the ground that indicated prey was close by, and then pounced. She also knew that most were impatient and tended to strike prematurely, giving their prey a chance to draw back and get away, and that they taunted their would be victims with their flailing mouths and bobbing head jerks before attacking.

But Zelda needed that flower. If she was quick enough she could dart in, snatch the flower and be out of range by the time the deku baba snapped.

_Okay Zelda_, she encouraged herself, _you've evaded monsters before, no need to get all jumpy. _

She crouched and planted her feet in racing position, bracing herself. She wasn't proclaimed the fastest runner in all of Skyloft for nothing. Small and light, her body was perfect for the activity. A small breeze raised the front strands of her hair. She waited for them to settle before she shot off, legs and arms pumping in sync.

As anticipated, the deku baba reared its head from the mound and drew up, snapping its jaws in an act of intimidation. Without pause, Zelda dashed past it and bent down, snatching the flower. She carried her momentum and rolled out of the way right as the deku baba took a chomp out of the air where she'd blasted past a mere second ago. Coming to a stop, stumbling the last few steps, she bent over and breathed heavily, hands braced on her knees and heart pounding.

As she caught her breath, her heart beginning to slow its rapid pace, she brought up the ancient flower, and loosened her grip on the strangled stem. She smiled, tiredly. She'd done it. She got the flower. Only six more to go…

"The things I do for you, Link," she groaned, storing the flower carefully in her pouch. She dearly hoped it didn't wither and die by the time she returned to Skyloft, seeing as how she'd probably be at this the entire day.

She hoped that Link didn't end up worrying too much about her. She'd fibbed when she'd said she was going to visit Faron. The only reason he'd let her go alone at all was because he knew that the great dragon was a fierce and powerful entity, Zelda's safety was practically assured in her presence. He'd been particularly overprotective and paranoid about her since the defeat of Demise. Never letting her go out alone, trysts to the surface were done in large groups of friends or among the construction campaign, who worked diligently throughout the day to build new homes on the ground. Whenever she went flying he'd be no more than a few wing-beats below her, as if positive that she'd fall from her bird with the slightest gust of wind.

She liked Link a lot, absolutely loved him actually, but there were times that she wanted to be alone and reminisce without the constant pressure of his gaze on her. Maybe later when she gave him his gift she'd reveal the truth about how she had procured the materials used in its making and then he might find that she was capable of handling herself. She'd been fine those first few days on the surface, keeping ahead of Ghirahim, too quick and sneaky for capture, at least until she got to the fire temple, but those darn bokoblins had all popped out at once and she'd been swarmed.

She checked the sun's journey in the sky and noted she had roughly six hours before twilight. Stretching, her fingers laced together, hands reaching high in the air, she popped a few joints and then started walking. She had old and unsavory materials to find.

She'd been correct in that she'd needed practically all those hours to gather up the rest of the items. She'd picked four more ancient flowers on her way to the sand beds, and once there had a heck of a time chasing after tumbleweeds, feeling ridiculous as she waved the net side to side trying to scoop the illusive balls of dead weeds up.

A few Ampilus had marched on the packed sand, eyes glistening warily on their stalks alert for the approach of strangers in their territories, and Zelda had kept well away from them. No matter how fast she was, she'd be hard pressed to outrun them when they formed their spinning shells, lightning jolting around them to further amplify their attack. Those shocks hurt immensely, or so Link had told her. Unlike her, his first reaction upon encountering the creatures and being laid upon by the spinning wheel was to draw his sword and stand en-garde.

Mentally, she scoffed. _Very wise_, she added with crude sarcasm.

Zelda, wiser and much more cleverer, had merely stepped aside, calculating that the arc of its curvature would have to be long and wide from the velocity the Ampilus sped at. With this method the Ampilus couldn't turn sharply enough to hit her.

By the time she was done and all necessary materials had been collected, only a sliver of the sun was remaining and twilight was quickly darkening the sky, coloring the world in murky grays. The moon shone at gibbous, rising overhead, but stars had yet to peek out.

Knowing she had very little time before full dark, she rushed towards the bird statue and called for her loftwing. Anxiety bloomed as she waited. It was swiftly drawing into night. What if her bird didn't come? What if he'd assumed she'd decided to spend the night on the surface and flown back to his nest?

She paced a furrow in the earth, and then turned to face the statue, head angled upwards and leering into the sky. Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she sighed and determined he wasn't coming. She shivered and goose bumps appeared on her flesh at the thought of spending the night on the cold open ground, but what choice did she have?

Suddenly the wonderful sound of wings flapping floated in her ears. She peered up amidst the fading light and was gratified to see that he had not abandoned her. Her bird, Lorius, squawked and flared his wings, talons reaching out as he alighted in a graceful manner.

Zelda leaped up in joy. "Oh, you good bird you. Now, how about we be going home, hmm? Then I'll give you some nice berries for you to eat and I'll clean your feathers. Such a good boy, waiting so patiently for his mistress," she all but cooed at him and Lorius ruffled his chest feathers proudly, drinking it all up.

She laughed at the obvious primping and climbed onto his back. Once she was firmly seated, one hand clinging to his collar – a symbolic designator that matched the similar golden links of her belt around her waist - the other fastened around her bag, Lorius bent and then kicked off in one powerful motion, surging into the sky.

Air rushed against her face, hair whipping behind her head and she smiled at the familiar feeling, loving it. The air was thin and clear and she breathed it in with relish and a sense of belonging. One day they'd live on the surface. One day her people would forsake the islands above the clouds in favor of their old existence among the large expanses of forest, deserts and mountains. But for now the sky was theirs, and for as long as she could, she'd make sure that they had both, land and sky.

A headwind collided into them and Zelda whooped as Lorius was thrust higher into the air, his speed increasing as he went into a spectacular dive. Skyloft was still a ways away and she was hard pressed to look for it. In the darkness she could barely make out the formation of each floating mound of earth. Her bird swerved dangerously as one had manifested in their direct path.

Zelda's heart pounded, growing fearful. "Careful, now," she soothed Lorius, who had become harried, eyes wide in efforts to pierce the darkness. Perhaps it would have been best to stay the night on the ground after all.

Suddenly another headwind sent them barreling downward, Lorius panicked and veered sharply, almost throwing Zelda from his back.

"Lorius!"

But the bird had lost it. His lack of vision and the pounding gales were too much for him and he flew in a panicked frenzy, shooting a path towards where he thought Skyloft was located and ignoring anything that was around him. He barely managed to avoid colliding into another island, and just managed to angle up sharply, talons scraping the surface.

"Land, Lorius! Land! Ahhhh!"

Something round and hard hit Lorius on the shoulder and skimmed off to collide with Zelda on the rebound. Zelda saw stars as her vision clouded, fraying at the edges, a murkiness pulling her down. A wave of vertigo hit her and she gained conscious enough to realize that they were descending, and very quickly at that.

She forced herself to wakefulness only to feel Lorius's wings flapping frantically on either side of her. Somehow she hadn't fallen off during the whole event. Her head pounded vigorously, but she ignored it, grasping Lorius around the neck and holding on tightly.

Lorius squawked a painful cry as they tumbled down. For an instant, he was able to successfully catch the wind beneath his feathers and they glided, but that soon ended as his strength failed him and the next thing she new, they were hitting hard earth and Zelda was flung from Lorius's back. Lorius skid a ways and then stopped, head lifting lazily to peer around and then falling as his body slumped in exhaustion.

Zelda pushed her arms beneath her and sat up, one hand going to her pounding head as wooziness overcame her. She probed and beneath her fingertips made out the swell of a bump just behind her ear where the projectile had hit her. She groaned at the light contact and squeezed her eyes shut. After a while of carefully monitoring each inhale and exhale the pain passed and she cracked her eyes open to survey their location.

The light from the gibbous moon offered only a scant amount of illumination, as it was half buried behind a crowding of clouds and partially blocked by the wall of a cliff. But with that light she could detect that they were still in the sky, on one of the small floating islands that bore no importance. She breathed in thin air, and felt the cool peels of grass beneath her fingers. She could vaguely make out the sharp edges that signaled the shear drop off the island and scuttled away from it.

She started as a big lump of blackness shifted a few feet away, and then pulled herself to it as one yellow eye slit languidly open, gazing at her.

"Lorius! Oh, Lorius, are you alright?" She examined him from top to bottom, riffling through his feathers with her dainty hands, then pulling away abruptly as Lorius let out a sharp cry when she encountered his wound. A jagged cut lined the top of his shoulder, wet and bleeding. Automatically she reached her hand up to gently touch the swell on her head, feeling something she hadn't before, wet and sticky. She drew her hand away. She didn't need to see it to know what it was.

Instead of focusing on her own wound she tended to Lorius. Opening her bag, she rummaged her hand around, crestfallen when she felt the broken stems and petals of the ancient flowers she had so painstakingly taken the time to gather and the crushed tumbleweeds she'd spent hours chasing. She found what she was looking for and withdrew the bottle, yanking off the stopper. Then she groaned as the scent that hit her was not the putrid one of a healing potion. It was water, just plain water.

She double-checked her bag, making sure she hadn't missed anything, but all she found were the destroyed materials, a handkerchief, empty wrappings from her afternoon snack, and the folded bug net. She supposed she should be happy that she hadn't totally wrecked that too.

Making the best of what she had, she wet her kerchief with the water and began gently dabbing at his wound, cleaning it as best she could.

Lorius made a faint noise of pain and tried to pull away, but Zelda held firm. "At least it doesn't sting. Here, I'll be gentle, okay?"

Lorius bowed his head in acceptance and closed his eyes, turning away. Zelda continued meticulously working on the wound, noting the shape of the rupture, it was as if a rock had been pelted at him. A sky octorok must have fired blindly in the dark upon hearing Lorius panic and it had hit its mark. A double whammy, it seems, as Zelda had been struck as well.

Once done tending his wound, Zelda focused on her own, washing away a significant amount of blood and diligently cleaning it of debris. Briefly she wondered if there were any healing abilities that could be utilized from the ancient flowers, but threw that thought aside. She wasn't about to risk it. Not with the limited knowledge she had about the plant. Hylia's memories may have returned to her - most of them at least - but they didn't really consist of the properties of plants, rather they focused more on the old legends, history, and war tactics. Apparently she'd been quite the warrior in her day.

Once she was done she pushed her bag away and with nothing left to do, settled into Lorius's side, his feathers brushing her skin lightly. They couldn't do anything in the dark, they'd have to stay here until morning. His bulk and warmth comforted her, as she decided to get in a bit of rest.

As she lay back she looked out beyond the island seeing nothing but stars. The moon was now fully shielded by the floating clouds. She turned away and closed her eyes. The darkness seemed to consume her and she fervently hoped she would not have any of her dreaded nightmares.

This was going to be a long and restless night.

* * *

Zelda had said she'd be gone for a while to visit the dragon Faron, but that had been hours ago and he wasn't certain when she meant to come back or whether or not she was staying the night. And as the hour grew late, he couldn't help but worry about her. With or without the protection of a great deity guarding her, the surface was still a dangerous place, as shown with the presence of Ghirahim. And although he doubted that any other glorified demons would arise suddenly, he couldn't help but think it was always a possibility.

He shook his head, leaning over the railing and peering out at the open sky.

Heh, he really had become paranoid had he? Next he'd be thinking the wind would turn on them, manifesting into its own demonic form. Yeah, right.

But it wasn't only that. He'd hoped to spend the evening flying with her. In a few days it would be his birthday and everyone would be clamoring for his attention. Between that and knight training he wouldn't be granted an instant to himself, much less time to spend secluded with Zelda.

As evening came around, he begrudgingly admitted that she might be running a bit late, but settled in to wait for her anyways, and as night drew near all his paranoia and panicky notions arose. Surely she would have told him if she'd planned to stay the night? What if something happened to her on her way home? What if a gang of stray bokoblins caught her and were even now… His mind drew blank and his stomach suddenly churned at all the thoughts of what they could be doing to her, most of them consisting of ways of torture which involved cooking.

He shook the images away and slammed his hands down. That's it! Light or no light, he was going out to look for her.

With that conviction he placed fingers between his lips and whistled a high shrill, calling out for his bird. Diving from the platform was generally the normal procedure for summoning, but he didn't want to risk it if his loftwing had decided to bed down a bit early. To his relief, Alcreon's dark shadow swooped from above, feathers glowing in the torchlight. He alighted deftly in front of Link and looked about in confusion as to why he was being called on so late. Unused to picking him up from the hard ground, Alcreon squawked his dissent in his partner's ear. Link waited for the lingering ringing sensation to dissipate before appealing to his bird, stroking languidly at the ruff of feathers where his bill started.

"Rude as always," Link chuckled, before his face turned serious. "Ready for a bit of night flying?"

Alcreon ruffled his feathers in unease as Link mounted him. Sinking into place, legs tucked behind Alcreon's wings, Link then motioned the bird forward.

"Link, what are you doing?"

Jolting, her twisted around and was met with the overbearing presence of the Headmaster approaching him at a stroll, hands clasped behind his back. He had one half of his bleach white eyebrow raised in a look that could be either deciphered as one of shear curiosity or disapproval. Link held firm against his gaze.

"Zelda's not back yet," he implored, "I'm going to find her." He was confident that the Headmaster, as Zelda's father, would see his side and allow this one exception to the ban on night flying rule, but to his dismay, Gaepora only shook his head.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question. You have to be specially trained to fly at night, and even then it can be treacherous," said Gaepora sternly.

Link bristled with consternation. "Didn't you hear me? Zelda's out there. She could be alone and frightened, and by the Goddesses, she could be hurt or be assailed by some other heinous event. Something's wrong, I just know it. I can't just leave her. Especially after everything that's already happened to her. Zelda doesn't deserve that."

"I never suggested that nothing be done. I only stated that you are not the one to do it."

Link clenched his teeth. "Hell if I don't go!" he barked in a tone that he would have never previously dared to use against someone he so greatly respected, but as he was slowly discovering, when it came to Zelda there were no lengths he wouldn't go for her.

He nudged his bird to action and Alcreon stepped warily to the dock, making it evident in his mannerism that he was fully against the idea, but obeyed as Link urged him on.

"And would you risk yourself to see her safe?" The answer to that was obvious, so Geapora hastened to add before Link could reply. "You'll be doing more harm than good by going out there. And the chance of finding Zelda on your own is practically nil."

The headmaster's warning and Alcreon's trepidation threatened to unnerve him and a niggling feeling of doubt entered his mind. He sighed. The Headmaster was right. And besides, it wasn't fair to force Alcreon into an uncomfortable situation. But he couldn't bear it… couldn't bear feeling helpless.

Furiously, he twisted around. "Fine, I won't." But Geapora wasn't satisfied until Link had reluctantly dropped from his bird's back and Alcreon was free to fly the short distance to his nest.

Smiling and nodding at Link with approval, Link tried not to feel guilty as Gaepora withdrew a white whistle from his pocket and blew three consecutive short shrieks.

In no time at all, a trio of bright dots swooped down, enlarging and revealing themselves as the luminescent glowing of lanterns, securely fastened on three separate feathered heads. As Link had anticipated, the headmaster meant to send out the rescue knights.

The rescue knights were fully-fledged knights, men and women who patrolled the skies around Skyloft and kept a look out for encroaching aerial monsters and who also were obliged to catch any unfortunate fool who wandered off the edge. Link blushed as he reflected that a number of times he'd been that fool, especially during the past few months as his quest to rescue Zelda had led him to become quite remiss. Most of them patrolled in the day, but for those few who'd been trained to fly in the dark – an acquired skill, he'd been told. Anyone could do it with the proper teachings, but few opted to sacrifice their days to sleep so they could work the night shift. In their younger years he and Zelda had used to refer to them as the night knights. It had been common for them to bid each other goodnight while making a mockery of them.

The rescue knights hovered their loftwings overhead, awaiting orders. The three before them were formidable captains each in their own right and so attuned to each other it was uncanny. Out of all the other knights, they were always the quickest to spot anyone to fall and the quickest to swoop down to catch them. Their deference to their duty was so strong that it transcended even the need to sleep, as they worked both night and day, always stalking the air with their eyes peeled. How they got enough rest, no one knew, some even ruminated that they took quick naps on their birds and that their birds had been trained to sleep while gliding.

Gaepora made to address the rescue knights. "Zelda has gone missing. We believe that she is stranded on the surface somewhere, and although the danger is past there may still linger those who are a threat to her. I want a squadron of your knights out searching for her."

"She'll be in Faron woods," supplied Link.

Gaepora nodded. "You heard him. Get to it."

Link found himself admiring how, although he was not the knight commander, the Headmaster issued orders like a King, and how the knights jumped to obey as if he really was their liege, snapping to attention proudly.  
They saluted simultaneously.

"Yes sir!"

"Leave it to us!"

"We're on it!"

Then they steered their birds to action, and in minutes they were flying out of sight. Link watched them go, yearning to join them, but until he graduated from the academy he was stuck. He hoped they found her.

He could just be overreacting. It had become so natural that he automatically assumed the worst, but he couldn't help it. If they were fortunate, they'd find Zelda with Faron or the Kikwis, safe and sound and mildly embarrassed that her absence had caused a search to be issued out for her. That would be the best outcome, but as things often were, the best usually had the smallest chance of actually happening. Especially where Zelda was concerned.

Gaepora stood beside him and offered a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that Zelda is fine. She's survived on her own before, hasn't she? No gaggle of monster can get her down." And although the Headmaster spoke strongly, his words held a tinge of hollowness, profused with worry for his daughter.

Abjectly, Link nodded, the Headmaster's words inspiring a small measure of confidence within him, rekindling his spirit. "You're right. Wherever she is she'll be fine." He tried and failed to convince himself of this.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dispel that lingering sense of worry for her.

* * *

_The darkness reached out for her, its jaded hands and spindly fingers caressing her flesh beneath the shear white gown that adorned her like a ghostly veil. She ran desperate to keep ahead of it, that looming blackness, its shape that of a giant scaled beast. It chased her, it was gaining, its mouth opening to reveal rows of sharpened white teeth. Mocking laughter pierced her heart like an onslaught of knives and she sobbed in true fear._

She awoke with a start, the ends of a scream trailing out of her throat, hoarse and raw. When she gained her bearings she collapsed sobbing into Lorius's feathered coat, shuddering and shivering with revulsion. She could still feel those dark hands on her, probing and violating, seeking to tear her soul out from her body.

Her sobs subsided and eventually she was reduced to silent quivering. The fear never left her, and alone in the darkness it was only enhanced. Virtually alone, that is, as Lorius was with her, but it wasn't the same as having another hylian around.

At home her night terrors would be assuaged by the light she kept by her nightstand, and the knowledge that Karane was only a few feet away, having had the separator removed, and willing to offer comfort at a moment's notice. She felt guilty for that. How often had she awoken the other girl in the middle of the night with her thrashing, although it had never amounted to screaming as it had this night. Her current stress must have added to the nightmares, making them ten times stronger.

She released shaky breath, silent tears streaking down her face, and buried deeply into Lorius's side. Goddesses, she wished they would end.

A sudden noise pulled her attention away from her weary thoughts and she became fearful and startled all at once to see a massive blob seep out of the ground and take shape before her. The chu revealed its bulbous eyes and mouth before making its way in her direction.

Zelda shot to her feet, the motion disturbing Lorius as he snapped his head up from beneath his wing. He noticed at once the giant chu barreling towards them and squawked a threat, rising unsteadily. The chu ignored the warning, surging in a maddened daze, and Lorius pounced. He split it with his beak and then attacked with angry slashes and jabs, viciously tearing at the remaining blobs with his talons, not relenting until it was fully dead. Once defeated, the jelly deflated and sank back into the earth, adding its fluid to the soil.

Lorius slashed the earth a few more times before finally settling, satisfied. Zelda had covered her mouth with her hands and ran to him as he nested tiredly, head and wings drooping, undoubtedly sore. She embraced him.

"Lorius, your wound!" she cried out alarmed, retrieving her bag and once more tending to him. "It was just a chu, they're hardly that dangerous," she chided lightheartedly, but Lorius only squawked sharply, claiming otherwise.

Once finished, she nestled into Lorius's side and bent her legs towards her, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees.

It was evident that she would not be getting any sleep that night.

In the morning she was bone weary and tired. Her eyes had crusted and she rubbed the stale tracks that her tears had made on her cheeks. She rose at the first sign of light and then surveyed the damage done to her bird. She winced at the bright red laceration, a scab having sewn it together during the night, but the surrounding area where Lorius had lost his feathers was bright red and swollen.

She smiled in sympathy. "How do you feel? Up to flying?"

Experimentally, Lorius raised his wings and then cringed, crying out in pain and folding them once more.

Zelda sighed, disheartened. "That's what I thought," she said with more irritation than warranted given Lorius's helpless condition.

Lorius seemed to understand that somehow she was upset with him and saw no reason for it, so barraged her with a long loud squawk right in her ear, sending her hair flying. Zelda covered her ears; eyes squeezed shut, then leveled him with a cold glare.

"Don't you squawk at me! It's entirely pointless, I can't understand a word you're saying!"

Ugh! Whenever she got the rest of her divinely power back she'd have to see about investing in a different sort of bird, one that could see in the dark… perhaps a giant owl? Her bird shrieked again, and she glared at him, uncovering her ears… one that could talk…

As much as it pained her to admit it, they were stuck. Unless someone came along, there was no way off this island, at least until Lorius healed, but that couldn't happen without proper sustenance and all the food she'd packed had been consumed the day before. Next time – if there ever was a next time, which there wouldn't be if Link had any say in it – she'd have the foresight to be well-prepared.

Zelda scrutinized the area, trying to detect any landmarks that would pinpoint their exact location. She swept her eyes over the horizon, the problem with this was that they'd landed in an alcove and three sides plus the ceiling above were stone. From her limited view she was dismayed that the closest island was a small round rock, suspended a few miles away and home to an octorok, if she was correctly making out that red dot. Probably the same sky octorok that had shot them down. Skyloft wasn't even in view. As the sun rose higher she could make out the distinct yellow beam that signaled a pathway through the cloud barrier glowing faintly in the distance.

She let out a cry of distress. "We were going in the wrong direction! That's why we never came across Skyloft. Oh, Lorius, what are we going to do! People rarely ever fly out this far."

Well, they were sure in a fix. Great Hyli - er… An empty cry, it seemed, as she was Hylia. How was she supposed to phrase that now? Great herself? That did seem a bit egotistical of her. Goddess, this was confusing… And there she went again, beseeching herself. By all that's holy! …

That's it. There'd be no more of that. Shutting up!

"Ohhhh!"

She decided to think positive and began to look for what they had going for them. At least they'd landed on an island, they could have just as well missed and ended up plummeting to the surface below. At least she hadn't sustained a concussion, which now that she thought about it, she should have checked for that before falling asleep last night. That about summed it up. Everything else belonged to the pessimist realm.

Zelda sat in the grass as Lorius snoozed nearby. A plan should have been arranged in the instance that something like this should happen. The knights should have ordered that anyone going out for a ride all carry distress whistles, or some magical item that acted like a radar. Skyloft was usually a peaceful island, the knights may pride themselves on being organized, but when it came down to hectic situations... well, they were hardly functional when dealing with things out of the ordinary.

Slowly the soft swirls of wind and the warm beating sun caused her eyes to drift close. Her body started swaying until she almost fell over then snapped herself up. NO. She had to stay alert. If someone did come along she couldn't risk missing her chance.

She slapped her face a few times and shook her head. Rising to her feet, she determined that the only way to stave off tiredness was to move about.

* * *

There was little sleep to be had that night. Nightmares plagued him; Demise revived, Ghirahim partaking in his bizarre dance around Zelda's body, savage futuristic white birds that flocked with mutinous intent...

It was enough to keep him on the brink of wakefulness.

Daylight arrived not a moment too soon, and he'd quickly dressed and rushed to the dock where stood Headmaster Gaepora talking to one of the captains. The captain nodded and soared away. Gaepora heard his approach and looked at him over his shoulder, expression wary and hard and one of foreboding.

"Link, you were right to be concerned. It seems that Faron was clueless to Zelda's supposed visit. The knights searched Faron woods and have seen no tracts or signs of her. They're scouring the area once more to be sure, but just in case some have gone to both Eldin and Lanayru."

Link felt a cold vice clutch at his heart. "I'm going."

"And I won't stop you," said Gaepora, looking as if he wanted to join the search himself.

Just then a loud cry rent the air. "LINK!"

Groose ran at them full pelt, and Link considered pretending to have not heard and jumping off the platform anyways, but he knew that Groose would follow and it was much easier to hear what he had to say on firm ground than in the air where the wind carried away the sound.

His and Groose's relationship had been stiff since their return, their shared experiences on the surface could not be denied, yet friendliness in regards to each other didn't seem to become them. Instead, they'd switched back to how they were before, but with a little less vice. They took comfort in the familiarity of it, even if Link got bullied for it.

"Link!" Groose called, stopping before him he snatched fistful of Link's tunic. "What's this I hear about Zelda! How could you let her go out alone! I trusted you to protect her, and this is what happens! That's our Goddess out there! She could be hurt or dying. I bet she realized what a wimp you are and is begging for me to come save her!"

From nearby a group of women out doing laundry gasped, among them Pipit's mother, Mallara, a well-known gossip.

"Our Goddess is in danger!" she exclaimed in horror.

"No, not the Great Hylia!" the large woman, Goselle cried.

They spoke in horrified tones and Link frowned. Great, now the whole of Skyloft would know within the hour. There was bound to be mass panic from the populace, seeing as how this was their Goddess, their mother and creator, the one who'd they'd thrown festivals for and worshipped all their lives, who was missing.

"Groose," Link said tersely, and Groose pulled away, shaking his fists in front of him.

"If you won't help look for her then I will. Wait for me Zelda, I'm coming!" With that Groose ran off the platform and whistled for his bird. Link had just enough time to see Cawlin and Stritch join him in the sky before they veered downwards and away.

At that moment, Orielle approached them, her face white with worry. "Is it true? Is Zelda really missing?"

How quickly did news spread? It hadn't been five minutes! Link turned to her and nodded. Of all the Loftians very few referred to Zelda by her given name anymore, most finding some abject joy in addressing her as Hylia. Zelda put on a happy front in public, but Link could see within her eyes that she didn't like it. It dehumanized her, raised her above everyone else.

Orielle nodded firmly. "Then I'll help too. I'll keep an look out in the skies just in case she does come back."

"Thank you," said Link wholeheartedly.

"Another set of eyes will be more than welcome," said Gaepora, patting her shoulder.

Orielle turned to him. "Let's go, Link. I'm sure you're anxious to look for her."

"Good luck!" the Headmaster called after them.

They took the dock at a sprint and then were barreling over the edge in a free fall. They called their birds and at once were swept away, Orielle angling left and Link heading straight onwards towards the green light in the distance. The other knights may be already searching the forest, but they didn't know all the secret little hideaways that he and Zelda were acquainted with.

In Faron woods various colored loftwings soared lowly overhead as a bunch of knights wandered on the ground, splitting off into pairs and searching every nook and cranny. Groose searched from his perch on top of his bird, soaring over the trees and calling out Zelda's name at the top of his lungs.

Link brought his bird down and gracefully leapt off and fell the ten feet to the ground, landing in a crouch. He spotted Knight Commander Eagus directing the men and women and collecting reports, the head Kikwi, Bucha, stood with him, his massive form providing shade against the hot glare of the sun.

"Oh dear oh dear, not good not good. How dreadful!" the Kikwi shook his head and droned on.

Commander Eagus nodded absently. "According to the reports all tracks are at least a week old, or are from the construction crew, but she hasn't been on site lately."

"Sir!" A knight swooped down and vaulted off his bird jogging up to the Commander, saluting. "A report, sir. One of our women suggest she may have been in Lanayru desert."

"Lanayru desert?" the Commander mused in shock. "What would she be doing there?"

"We don't know, sir. But the signs indicate a lot of activity, plus we've heard tell from a few of the robots that they've seen a young girl with gold hair and a white and green dress running around."

"Lanayru desert?" Link exclaimed, jogging up to them.

Bucha immediately perked up. "Ah, Link. Been a while, you haven't visited lately."

"I haven't had the time," replied Link, offhandedly, before turning back to the knight. "Whereabouts in the desert was it?"

"Within the mines mostly," replied the knight.

"I'll check there," said Link.

"And I'll send most of the knights over as well. The desert is full of dangers, and if our Zelda has indeed ventured there it is likely that some misfortune has befallen her," said Commander Eagus.

This is what should have been done when Zelda had first vanished, an organized search and rescue party sent out to find her and bring her home. She shouldn't have had to go through all that alone. But back then the surface had been a foreign place with not much known about it, and the dangers had been far greater. The knights would have only gotten in the way. But the way they'd placed all the responsibility of finding her on his shoulders irked him. They'd been concerned but had lacked the conviction to do anything about it. At least now they reacted better, but that could be mostly because she was their Goddess. If it had been anyone else, they'd have probably only sent a single squad out, not an entire platoon.

Link hurried to the closest bird statue and once again rose to the skies. He steered his bird in the direction of Lanayru desert, intent on getting there post haste. Just as he was about to urge Alcreon into a barrel roll, his name sounded out on the wind.

"Link!"

He slowed down as Orielle came in parallel. "Link!" She pointed and Link understood that she wanted him to land.

They alighted upon a small island but did not dismount, able to talk without the wind's interference.

"Link, Zelda's bird is nowhere to be found," Orielle exclaimed excitedly. "I checked the roosts, I thought maybe he could sense her out, but he's gone."

"Which means," Link murmured, thoughts running rampant.

"She must be somewhere in the sky!"

"She might have bedded down at the Lumpy Pumpkin," said Link, kicking Alcreon's ribs to launch off.

"Good luck!" cried Orielle.

_Please be there, please be there, for your own sake, you'd better be there! _This repeated as a mantra in his head as he leaned down close to his bird to speed them up.

The Lumpy Pumpkin hovered before him, the structurally challenged shaped building looming in the form of a massive pumpkin. He could make out the orange curves and squash-like features of the building slowly drawing closer.

Kina was the first to greet him as he burst through the doors. A cheery smile stretched on her face, she placed one hand on her hip, the other expertly balancing five bowls of steaming soup on a tray.

"Well, hello there, mister hero. Here to book a table for that romantic dinner you've been planning for weeks? That Zelda sure is one lucky girl."

"Is she here!" Link threw out, glancing around, eyes drifting over all the patrons cluttered at the various tables, hoping to see her face among them.

Kina, bustled around, delivering her orders. "No, I haven't seen her," she replied as she placed a bowl in front of a portly looking man. "Best ask father. He always knows the ins and outs of people at the inn."

Link turned to the owner, Pumm, expression hopeful, but Pumm merely shook his head, cleaning a mug. "Afraid not, sonny. Why d'you want to know? She finally had enough of you and run? Sensible girl, that one."

Still bitter about the whole chandelier incident, Pumm was less that curt with him. Link's shoulders dropped as he turned to leave. "Thanks for your time."

Kina called out a bright goodbye and Pumm simply grumbled as Link exited the Lumpy Pumpkin.

He gazed forlornly out at the sky. Where else could she be? The nearest settlement other than Skyloft was an island called Zephysdell, and that was over a full days journey due south, Zelda wouldn't have gone there. Realization overcame him. She must be stranded. That was the only explanation. Either that or she'd gone on a merry little jaunt without telling anyone, in which case he'd kill her.

Despite the murderous intentions behind the thought, he desperately hoped for the later. Once more he flung himself in the air. Alcreon swept up beneath him and they were off to search the islands.

* * *

It was getting late. Zelda became more and more anxious after every hour that no one was coming. She couldn't spend another night like the last, she just couldn't. Unbidden, tears came to her eyes, and she suppressed them as best she could. Crying would only give way to her fears, she had to stay brave and keep positive. She was training to be a knight so she'd better act like one.

Suddenly, something caught her eye, something that made her leap to her feet, her heart panging.

It was Link! Oh, thank Hylia… herself… whatever, he was here!

She jumped and waved, trying to catch his attention. "Link! Link, over here!"

She giggled excitedly as he heard her and brought his bird around on a path towards her. Carefully, he landed Alcreon in the alcove and jumped off. Abruptly, Zelda had her face buried in worn cloth and leather, Link's hands clasping her close to him in a relieved embrace.

He was muttering indistinguishable words into her hair, and Zelda rubbed his back fondly. "There, there, it's alright."

This only enticed him to squeeze her harder. "Alright? You're comforting me, when it should be me comforting you! What happened? Are you hurt?"

He pulled back and held her at arms-length to look her over, top to bottom. Zelda blushed under his roving gaze and grasped his hands in hers, drawing his gaze to her eyes. "I'm fine."

"No you're not!"

"Link, I'm okay."

"Zelda…"

"Link!"

"What about this then?" he lightly brushed her hair where the blood had dried. "You're hurt. Were you attacked, is that why you didn't come home yesterday?"

Hastily she covered the wound and averted her eyes. "A sky octorok took us by surprise. Lorius is hurt more than I am."

Link dove a hand in his pouch and emerged with a clear bottle filled to the brim with sparkling red liquid swishing inside. Zelda saw it and beamed. "Red potion!"

Link smiled. "Yes, and I got Bertie to add an extra oomph to it. Here, you'll be healed in no time."

Gratefully, she drank a third of the potion before handing it back to Link. They couldn't use it on Lorius as it only worked for hylians. Only mushroom spores worked on loftwings.

Link tugged on her arm, smiling fondly. "Come on, let's get you home."

He started to lead her towards Alcreon, but Zelda planted her feet and tore away. "No! I'm not leaving without Lorius!"

Link looked at her in disgruntled shock, which quickly morphed into exasperation. "Lorius will be fine. We can gather a carrying crew to fetch him tomorrow. Right now you have to return to Skyloft, everyone's out searching for you, they're all worried."

"Everyone," she meeped, face burning.

Link looked at her, a wry smile forming on his lips as he crossed his arms. "Didn't you know? Rumor has it that the Goddess is missing, everyone's in a panic to find her. Now come on before it get's dark."

But Zelda remained firm, even as she was mortified at hearing about the ruckus she'd caused. "I'm not going without my bird!"

He sighed. "Zelda…"

"Link! I can't… I just can't leave him," her voice broke at the thought of parting from Lorius.

For four months they'd been separated, she hadn't had any contact with her bird throughout the entire spirit maiden episode. He'd been so overjoyed to see her again once she'd finally returned to the sky, both eager to rekindle their bond, which had withered down to virtually a skeleton of what it had once been. Nearly every free moment of every day she would spend with Lorius, gliding in and out of the clouds, walking together on the surface and attracting bemused stares. It was well known that Loftwings would take to flying over walking, but Lorius hadn't seemed to mind, just as anxious as her to be together.

She couldn't abandon him again. Link couldn't ask that of her.

Link stared at her long and hard, and Zelda looked at him with the most pleading pathetic face she could muster. He seemingly understood as he gave her a gentle smile.

"Fine, but I'm not leaving you two alone tonight. We'll stay here and in the morning I take you back to Skyloft and we both scrounge up a retrieval crew for Lorius. No arguments!"

"Thank you, Link."

He took her hand and they settled on the ground, leaning against the wall next to each other. She breathed out in relief, and yawned widely. She'd gotten very little sleep last night, and no proper rest, combined with the exertion of locating the materials the day before and she was puckered out.

He responded by drawing her close to him and resting his arms around her waist. As much as Zelda had missed Lorius, she had missed Link just as much. Each time he had caught up to her in his mad chase to find her their encounters had been brief and filled with danger and more often than not, ruined by outside interference. He may have become a little overbearing within the past few weeks, but there was no question that she valued each and every moment spent with him, no matter if it was in argument or enjoying pleasant conversation.

Link's arms around her perceptively tightened all of a sudden. "I forgot to ask," he said, and then his voice changed to a hardened tone. "What the hell were you doing over in Lanayru desert?! You told me you were going to visit Faron! Why in the sky would you lie to me like that?"

She winced at his tone, burying her face in his shoulder so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "About that…" Honestly, she didn't know what to say. Not without giving away his birthday surprise that is, which he wouldn't be receiving anyways it seemed. The thought of repeating yesterday all over again nauseated her.

But Link was persistent. "I was scared, Zelda. Scared that you'd been kidnapped or killed. You're the Goddess, there's little some people won't do to get ahold of your power."

She shifted awkwardly in his hold. "I thought being the Goddess didn't matter to you," she whispered.

"Not to me, but it matters to others," he said viciously, his hand lazily stroking through her hair. "Not only that… you could… one day you might…" he took an arduous breath. "I'm just scared of losing you…" His anger all but gone, he sounded like a war torn man, heavy with the constant weight of hopelessness and sorrow.

There was a double entendre behind that statement and Zelda was quick to interpret what it was. He was scared that one day she'd fully awaken as a Goddess and rise to the heavens, leaving him behind. Now that she was partially awakened she recalled past duties she had once carried out as a Goddess, her governance over the land as she watched over all of its inhabitants. She'd be unable to abandon that duty forever, but then, for a Goddess, forever was a long long time.

She smiled into his shoulder. "Not in this lifetime. Sorry to disappoint you, but you, hero, are stuck with me until we both pass on from old age."

Call it a leave of absence if you will. Her personal interference in the mortal realm had only been necessary that one time, in the great battle against Demise. The heavens could survive without her for a few more decades.

Zelda could feel the tension leaving his body, her words assuaging him. After a while of comfortable silence, he once again spoke up. "Zelda… I…" Link started, becoming fidgety under her. "There's something else I've been meaning to ask you, but with both of us busy and all, I haven't had the chance."

Lifting her head in curiosity, she struck him with her sleepy gaze. "Yes?"

"Well…" he drawled, nervously. "That day, after the wing ceremony, you remember we went flying…"

"Yes," she prompted him once more after a brief hesitation.

"Umm, I've been curious for a while… what was it, you know, that you were going to say to me?"

Her thoughts turned to that instance right before the tornado had appeared and tore her from her bird, igniting all these malignant feelings within her. She shivered in revulsion.

"You don't have to answer," Link inserted hastily, noticing her discomfort. "If it brings up bad memories, you don't have to say anything. After all, when Ghirahim struck it must have been a nightmare falling to the surface on your own and then having everything thrust on your shoulders. Learning that you were a Goddess must have been a great shock, and that some demon was after your soul – ah crap! I'm bringing up bad memories, aren't I?"

Zelda snuggled into him. "You've never been very good with tact, have you."

She could feel Link rubbing her back and patting her hair sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright," she said at length. "To be completely honest it doesn't bother me that much anymore. Everything that happened… it turned out alright in the end."

"Yeah," he whispered, then cocked his head. "So… what were you going tell me? It sounded really important."

Kind of. Zelda bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Oh, it was nothing."

But now that Zelda had revealed that she would not be bothered by the memory, Link was determined to receive an answer. "Oh, come on, Zelda. Please."

"I sort of forget."

"I'm not falling for that one," he said assertively. "Zelda!" he whined, and Zelda couldn't help but fall apart. What with his wide blue eyes, beseeching her pleadingly, he looked as if he'd die from being forever plagued with curiosity if she didn't answer him.

Taking pity on him, she mulled for a way to articulate the words. "Well..." she drawled, then expanded. "That day of the wing ceremony, there was twice that I shoved you off some high ledge. I wanted to talk to you about that, I had wanted to apologize. I meant nothing by it."

His mouth fell open before he shook his head and closed it. "Wait, what?"

Zelda broke off her gaze and nervously fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt. "Yeah, I've felt really bad about that for a while. It was like I wasn't even thinking. All that registered was Link, ledge, and must push off. If you thought I felt guilty for using you as the chosen hero that was nothing compared to the immense guilt I felt for pushing you off the dock and the Goddess statue. I mean, I hadn't even considered your feelings about it. I could have traumatized you. I practically almost killed you twice! The first time I didn't listen to you about not being able to sense your bird, and the second time I caught you completely by surprise. What if you had fumbled while pulling out the sailcloth? What if you hadn't grasped all the corners correctly or if you'd let go of one? How cruel of me."

Silence filled the air between them.

Link blinked. "Are you serious?"

Zelda snapped her eyes at him. "What? Did you expect for me to declare my undying love for you? Pffft, as if," she said flippantly, then huddled timidly against him. "Seriously, though, sorry about that. I promise I'll try not to be so careless with your life again."

Link shook his head in humorous disbelief and closed his eyes, resting his cheek against the golden strands on her head. "Very reassuring."

He shifted and caused Zelda to yelp as he laid them down on the grass, pulling her practically on top of him. Their birds roosted close by, bills tucked under their wings as they slept. The stars twinkled brightly before them and below everything was encompassed in total darkness. Zelda shivered and then went bright red as Link kissed her forehead.

"Cold?"

She shook her head, leaning against his chest. "Scared…"

"Of the dark?"

"Nightmares."

This time he kissed the tip of one of her pointed ears and she was certain he could feel the heat of her blush through his lips. It was funny how with words he tripped over himself with all the coordination of a newborn loftwing, but when it came to physical actions he had no qualms with expressing himself and each action spoke a thousand words. A direct contrast to how Zelda was herself.

Right now she fumbled with just trying to figure out even one of those words, but it was proving to be difficult, as her mind had somehow become mushed.

"I have them too…"

She looked up at him and saw his eyes fixed firmly on her own, filled with intensity and the silent promise that, no matter the cost, he would always be there to protect her, even if it was at his own expense. She both loved and hated that about him. Loved his devotion to her as he continued to be her hero, even after his destiny had been fulfilled, but hated that he would willingly throw himself in danger's path for her. She detested that how to him his life bore less importance than her own. She didn't want him to get hurt, to die for her sake.

Link's chest vibrated as he began to hum softly, the tune random until he found a sequence of notes that he liked and continued repeating them. It occurred to her that he was trying to coax her to sleep, and it was working. For once, her mind did not fill with images of all-encompassing darkness, and chains, and monsters in the shadows just waiting for a chance to devour her. For once she was not being chased. Finally, in his arms, she could stop running. She was safe.

Her eyes drifted closed, but she was not yet asleep. She nuzzled him and smiled. "Hmm, that sounds nice."

Link chuckled. "You think so? I'm considering calling it 'Zelda's lullaby'."

She cracked a single eye opened and leveled a glare at him. "I'm not a baby, you know."

"Oh, I know."

She shivered, and this time it wasn't from the prowling fears. His voice had sounded so husky and masculine and hot, she nearly melted right there. She loved it! She didn't object when he went back to humming that same tune.

"I do love you. My Goddess, my Zelda..."

His voice had drawn her back from the midst of unconsciousness. "That's nice," she said, yawning widely, even as her heart palpitated wildly behind her ribcage.

Link had stiffened under her and she held herself back from convulsing with laughter. "Zelda," he said in warning.

Oh, his voice when he said her name like that! How could she sleep when he was talking to her so deeply?

"Yes, Link?"

"Aren't you going to say something?" he hinted with expectation.

"I did. I said, that's nice."

"Why you-"

He was abruptly cut off as Zelda had impulsively and before she could think clearly about the action, pulled up and pressed her mouth to his, angling her head so that their noses bumped, lips locking firmly. He was momentarily caught by surprise but then answered with passionate zeal, opening his mouth in response to her lips parting, their tongues entwining.

For once Link could be the one with words, and this time she'd be the one whose actions spoke for her.

And if Link couldn't figure out the meaning behind this, then she'd have a _lot_ to say about that.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, if Link can't understand that when Zelda kissed him she was telling him 'I love you too', she'd probably rant and rave and call him all sorts of synonyms for clueless and idiot. Also, I never do mention what it was that Zelda wanted Gondo to make for Link, do I...? How thoughtless of me. Oh well...**

**So, a few personal thoughts on the story:**

**-One, old Impa's bracelet. I seriously did not notice until the very end that it matched Zelda's hair decorations. How could I have not seen it! She's been wearing it the whole time, I even went back and played it again just to make sure, and it's in plain view! So, here's to all of us hopelessly unobservant people. **

**-Second, I distinctly remember Zelda's bird being called a 'he'. I know many SS stories are written where they claim it's a 'she', but in truth, it's a 'he'. I double-checked this too while replaying the game.**

**-The title... yeah. I'm not good with those. So, windblown, it is.**

**-Lorius and Alcreon aren't really the names of their birds, they're names that I came up with myself. I don't think it ever gives the birds names in the video game. **

**-Yes, the savage white futuristic birds are meant to be cuccos. Link's having a premonition of sorts, they kind of act as a point of dread for him. That's a freebe for you, for all those who're trying to pick and spot foreshadowing.**

**-Zelda's nightmare... What else could be scarier than being chased around by some evil madman, and his hordes of pink monstrosities, wanting to take your soul and use it to awaken his sealed master? Nothing! That's what! Being chased and hunted is absolutely terrifying, and for Zelda to endure it for the better part of the game would definitely leave nightmares. **

**-I never really liked the notion of choosing one or the other, land or sky. At the end of the game, you see both Link and Zelda standing on the Goddess statue while their birds fly away in the distance. That sort of makes me think that they intend on living on the surface from now on. Sure, that's fine, but as long as they can visit Skyloft and ride around on their birds whenever they want. **

**-Everyone probably assumes that Zelda had been about to profess her love that time just before the tornado hit, but you never know, that may not be the case. Besides, I always thought she should apologize for those times she pushed Link. Now that I think about it, she should also apologize for throwing herself at him at the end of the race. What if Link hadn't caught her? That could easily have turned out bad.**

**That's about it. If I missed anything, or if there's anything else you want me to clarify, PM me, and feel free to review!**


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